Twitter yesterday sent an email with the subject line “#NFL + Twitter + Turkey = #Thanksgiving.”
Recognizing that people across the U.S. will be tuning into today’s slate of NFL games – and, unlike Sundays or Monday nights, doing so even if they don’t like football – Twitter has devoted resources to building a special #NFL experience. There is not always a marquee matchup on Thanksgiving, but today’s San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks NFC Championship rematch, replete with playoff implications, will likely drive big tune-in and tweet numbers.
The #NFL timeline includes a schedule of the day’s games (and an upcoming one for Sunday) on the left rail. Clicking into each tab drives users to game-specific content. The #NFL hashtag also includes a “Videos” tab, designed to keep users engaged longer on Twitter.com.
Twitter saw a huge audience for the 2014 World Cup, but had trouble converting visitors into lasting users. Right now, #NFL is accessible even without an account, but there is certainly potential that the company will consider making this content accessible only to signed-in users.
